Don't say Anything
by Summers Sky
Summary: Sequel to Don't just Die. 3 years have passed since Cleo's Games and two tributes have been reaped who will set the District tension alight. Their names? Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Melark. With rumours of District 13 swirling around, an increasingly desperate Cleo must keep everything she knows a secret or face dire consequences. Rated T/M (Stuff will happen later) R AND R Please!
1. Chapter 1

I knew it was coming. 3 years, that was what every Victor got before they had to go and train petty, weak children who were sure to die, but I wanted longer. True, I was given those 3 years after being told I would be a mentor straight away after my victory. I guess the Capitol decided I was too vulnerable to train anyone, plus, a 16 year old mentor would be a terrible one. I sat, staring outside the large oval window of my bedroom out onto the street below. Not many Victors were around tonight, they were probably out celebrating the day before the Reaping's.

In all honestly, I actually hated everything about being a Victor. The constant reputation of victory that followed me around like a beacon, the tacky distasteful Capitol parties I was forced to attend and fake that I really loved being a Victor when all I wanted to do was cry. But one thing that annoyed me the most were the homes. How could something so luxurious be so horrible? The large interior of the home I was given was too large, with many vacant rooms gathering dust. All the furniture was bland in colour and lacked the rustic, loving look of being created from nothing like the normal furniture I used to own. I couldn't understand how something so precious and extravagant could make me feel so hollow inside whenever I walked around it. If I could, I would have moved into my old house in the woods with my brothers, but I wasn't aloud. Victor's were owned by the Capitol, we were like puppets, if they pulled our strings we did as they said or we'd face the consequences- Johanna Mason learnt that lesson quickly.

The evening was particularly cool tonight, unusual for the summer in District 7 which was normally swelteringly hot. The sky was a rich red, pink and orange and a few stars had blinked awake in the distance. The sun was an oval disk in the sky tired from it's long day, it was ready to close it's eyes and be extinguished from existence for a few hours. I wish I could do that. The light bulb in my chandelier that offered a bright shine to my bedroom flickered, ready to break. I looked away from the window and turned around in the orange window seat to look at an old painting on one of the walls. It was of the woods at the end of summer after I had won; I had asked the Capitol to take it for me as a small reminder of what home really was. The sun shone in the picture and illuminated the golden textures in the fallen, autumn leaves. A bird soared into the sky, wings spread elegantly as it flew away from the menacing Capitol Peacekeepers. It was a beautiful snapshot of my old life cross-stitched into my vacant new one.

"Cleo?" A voice called from downstairs; I ignored it. In the three years since my victory I had become a bitter, miserable shell of my former self to the point were my own brothers couldn't recognise me any more. I couldn't even recognise my own reflection in the hundreds off mirrors draped around the house. Normally I would have done everything with my brothers, but now they had to fight to get me to leave my room. A footstep creaked on a floorboard outside.

"Cleo, are you ok?" Diego asked, quietly. I think Kovu and Diego feared I would spring and attack them if they annoyed me. True, I'd done it before and had accidentally been holding a knife, but there was no harm done. Everyone in District 7 thinks I'm insane but I was tested and the Capitol said I was perfectly fine, although I and many others beg to differ. I'm not fine, my mind is cracked and fragile, one blow could cause it to shatter completely. The oak door opened and a messy blond haired figure stepped inside.

"There's some food downstairs if you want some?" Diego offered, smiling as sweetly as he could considering the fact he was talking to his emotionally insane and severely pissed off adopted sister.

"Not hungry," I answered bluntly. Returning to look outside at the overly clean street. Diego shuffled across the thick dream carpet and sat on my freshly washed bed. I wanted to jump up and straighten the bed sheet he had crumpled and organise the orange and yellow pillows he had caused to slip, but I resisted. My room was the only thing I cared about now; I enjoyed keeping it clean, it was my way of organising my disordered thoughts.

"You haven't left your room in days, Cle. We miss you." Diego muttered, I ignored him, something I've become really good at. "Cle, if it's about what we told you..."

"It's not that." I answered sharply.

Recently my brothers had admitted that they were a lot more than just friends. At first it was the weirdest thing I'd ever heard. Diego, Kovu and I met at the orphanage and the very idea that Kovu and Diego were dating made me sick. I considered Diego my blood brother despite the fact we were not blood related. But upon reflection it seemed obvious there was a lot more than just friendship going on, they never dated anyone else and I guess my Games brought them closer together and made them feel confident enough to admit their affections for one another.

"It's going to be ok Cleo, you're not the one fighting there." Diego soothed, walking up to me and giving my shoulder a squeeze.

"I won't be fighting but other children will be. I haven't been to the Capitol for more than a day since my Games, I don't want to go back Diego, I really don't." Diego sighed, sitting down beside me and wrapping his arms around my frail body.

"I know Cleo, but Kovu and I can come with you. We can offer to help train the Tributes, you know the Capitol always wants new trainers, especially since there's a lot of tension around the Districts and no one wants to help anymore." I look up at Diego, a slight smile on my lips.

"You'll do that?" I ask,

"If that's what you want." Diego answered, I nod, placing my head on his shoulder. "What do you do in here all day?" Diego asks,

"I clean and stare out the window," I say with a shrug. Diego smiles,

"Are the Victors that interesting?" Diego smirks, I shake my head.

"Cleo if you don't come and eat downstairs I'm going to drag you by your hair kicking and screaming into the kitchen!" A deep voice growls from the bottom of the stairs.

"He'll do it you know, don't tempt your brother he hasn't had a fight for ages." Diego warns with a smile, I rolled my eyes and walked downstairs, defeated by Diego's small offer of escorting me to the Capitol.

I stood on stage, the large population of District 7 staring at me. I rarely did public appearances so it was humiliating having so many people looking at me. James Ostana, my Mentor when I was in the Games, stands beside me. He doesn't wave so neither do I. I have no idea why the other Districts view the Victors of District 7 as gothic, anti-social freaks because personally I think we're the height of socialising standards in Panem- not. Zion Lumberton, the District Escort waddles on stage dressed in a purple suit that makes him look like a grape. It looks like he's put on even more weight, which seems utterly impossible considering how large he was 3 years ago. James and I sit down in our wooden chairs and stare out into the see of blank, terrified faces. I hear a faint buzzing sound that signals the camera is zooming in on Zion's long winded speech. I feel James' blue eyes look at me, scanning my face for any change. My stomach twisted and my heart thudded. I know of all the people who've ever spoken to, James will sense how much pain I'm really in after my Games. 5 long minutes later Zion's speech finally ends and only then does James look away from me.

"And now it's time to announce the winners of the Reaping!" Zion says, enthusiastically, as if he is about to draw a name for somebody to win a holiday to the Capitol. I fight the urge to throw a high heeled shoe at his face, whenever Zion is around I feel my blazing streak of violence activate. Zion's fat fingers rummage in the bowl of girls names. The whole thing could look beautiful in a way, a lovely naming ceremony with crystal glass bowls and a woodland scenery, but I know from experience that the crowd will be feeling pure, undiluted horror. Zion snatches up a piece of paper and smiles greedily, he unfolds it painfully slowly and the silence in the District plaza is so deafening it hurts my ears as he reads out the name,

"Cecilia Greenwood!" I scan the crowds and spot a blond haired girl trail slowly forwards. She keeps her chin up but her eyes are watering and her lips are trembling. I reach down into the crowd and help her onstage; her hand shakes like a leaf.

"How are you feeling?" Zion asks the girl,

"How do you think she's feeling?" I spit, viciously. Zion ignores me and turns to the boys bowl, he knows he won't get an answer out of the now crying Cecilia. I keep hold of her hand and sit her down in my chair, I decide to stand in front of her and block her from view so she can have a little privacy as she cries. I didn't hear what poor boy was reaped but he has made his way onstage and looks down at the floor, his legs trembling. With a pound of dread I realise something horrible. These two people are no Victors, no matter how terrified the other Tributes were, no Victor has ever cried on stage. This pair is weak and I don't think these children will survive past the first day no matter how hard I train them. The crowd cheers slightly as we all walk off stage into the Justice Building, I escort Cecilia into a room and sit her down in a blue chair. She looks up at me, brown eyes watery with tears and shock.

"How could this happen to me?" She asks, her voice weak.

"Because the world is cruel and the odds are not in your favour." I answer, repeating the phrase adored by the Capitol. Cecilia starts to sob again,

"Will my family come and see me?"

"Of course, you can spend some time with them before you leave." Cecilia try's to smile, but it's so fake and forced it makes my heart hurt. I awkwardly turn around and leave her in peace, hoping she has enough time to say goodbye to her family. Zion and James are sitting around a black coffee table in a large room, waiting for the half an hour the Tributes have to say goodbye to be over.

"Come and join us, Cleopatra. My, it has been a long time." Zion says with a smile.

"Shut your fat face or I will stab you in the throat." I hiss. Zion gulps, surprised by my violent outburst, in all honestly, I'm surprised at the fiery response I fired at him. James smiles into a cup of black coffee, his eyes flicker towards mine but I look away.

I walk to the furthest possible corner and sit down, drawing my knees under my chin. This room is cold and threatening, the ceiling seems a million miles away from the floor and everything is draped in gray and molted green. The carpet underneath me is scratchy and thin with threads coming loose at the corners. Along each wall is a plaque with the names of every Victor from District 7 and a famous quote they surposedly said. My plaque is next to the exit, I strain my hazel eyes to read it. _Cleopatra Ivy: "You should count yourself lucky, you never got smashed in the ribs with a rock."_ I frown, I can't remember ever saying that, but I do remember my broken ribs. Sometimes it still hurts to lift heavy things around the house and I'm terrified that somehow my ribs didn't heal properly and they might shatter inside my chest.

The doors to the Justice building open and Kovu and Diego walk in.

"What are you doing, you're not aloud in here, get out or I'll call the Peacekeepers!" Zion exclaims, struggling to stand up.

"Shut up Zion, no one ever listens to your threats." The Kovu sneers harshly, stalking towards me.

"We're aloud to come and train the Tributes in the Capitol, we've both been recruited and have filled in forms if you need to see them." Diego says, I roll my eyes, Diego always did hate conflict. Kovu sits down beside me, sighing.

"So, you're aloud to come too?" I ask, Kovu nods.

"Not that I want to but at least we get good food." Kovu pulls me into a hug and I smile, sometimes it's nice to be hugged by my only living blood relative. I think Kovu and Diego sense my sadness, that's why they both try extra hard to show affection towards me whenever they can. Kovu and I used to be inseparable, we would hunt animals together and practice fighting almost everyday. I once asked Kovu to make daisy chains with me when I was sick at the orphanage and despite the fact it was raining heavily and he hated it, Kovu still made them me. I smile at the sweet memory. Diego sits in front of me, putting away his permission papers.

"What are you two going to teach the Tributes anyway?" I ask

"How to be awesome!" Kovu exclaims,

"How to tone down the arrogance." Diego replies, Kovu scowls jokingly at him. I laugh quietly, almost enjoying the company of my brothers.

After what seems like the longest half an hour of my life the Tributes appear, shaken up and devastated.

"Sit, come and have some coffee, the car will arrive soon. Although there certainly will not be enough room for all of you to come." Zion looks accusingly at Diego and Kovu, Kovu lifts up his middle fingers and swears at him.

"I recon it will be three days before Kovu punches Zion." I say, producing three gold coins from my coat pocket and putting them on the floor in front of me.

"No, I'm betting two days." Diego says,

"Three coins for the winner?" I ask,

"Bets on, Cle." Diego and I shake hands to seal the deal.

"Y'know, I could just punch him right now?" Kovu says, standing up and brushing invisible dust from his black trousers. Diego shakes his head and Kovu smiles, he wouldn't hit someone for no reason.

"You two are both going to have to walk to the train station." Zion declares, stuffing a cream donut in his mouth.

"I think the walk to the train will do you good fat arse. I'm going, come on Diego." Kovu says walking outside, Diego bursts out laughing and trails after him. Zion blushes bright red with embarrassment and anger. The two tributes sit awkwardly, attempting to sip coffee out of politeness.

"How dare he?" Zion booms.

"Oh calm down, you know you're fat." James mutters, pouring himself his third cup of coffee.

"Don't worry, I'll walk there instead." I decide, wanting to stretch my legs and leave the stuffy room. I turn around and walk outside, leaving behind Zion's angry, mumbled rant. I begin the long walk to the station, hoping that I will arrive too late and the train will leave without me. Maybe I should just avoid it completely and walk away from it all? Away from a loving family where I feel so unloved; away from a District of supporting residents were I feel unsupported; away from a life of luxury where I feel like I have nothing at all.

**Authors note: **

**So I said I would write this sequel soon, but I procrastinated so much that it's taken me 6 months or something to write this. Sorry. I hope you like it and if you have any questions about the characters message me! If you're reading this and feel like you've missed some extra information, you have. This is a sequel to my story, Don't just Die and if you could read that and review I'd be eternally grateful and give you a cup of James' favourite coffee. Thanks for reading and I really hope you'll enjoy this sequel. One thing I think I should mention is this is an OC story set in THG world, but there may be some errors so I can make the story realistic. Also, some of the errors will be explained later on in the story so try not to worry about them too much. Thanks for reading and REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

The train interior is as cold and uninviting as I remember. Despite the warm lights and plush chairs dotted around the carriages, everything onboard seems so distant and unloved. Cecilia and her District partner Dill are sitting opposite James and I, hoping for us to tell them something that will keep them alive. James continues his speech about sponsors and I try to keep attention, but the droning monotone of his voice and the lulling movement of the magnetic train is making me feel tired.

"Cleo!" A sharp voice exclaims, I jump slightly in my chair, surprised I had fallen asleep.

"Do you not care if these two die?" Zion shrilled, in the same sharp, squeaky voice.

"I care, but there's not much I can do." I answer, bluntly. Dill and Cecilia look shocked, Dill brushed a lock of greasy dark hair from his forehead.

"What do you mean? Do you think we're going to die?" He asks, annoyed but slightly worried.

"Honestly, yes. Look at you both, you're no warriors." I reply, Cecilia's lip trembles and she begins to cry. Dill stands up, his finger pointed at me and his voice shaking.

"You're no warrior either, Cleo. You should have died, Dandy should have won!" He shouted accusingly. I stand up and without control, punch him across the face. My fist connects and a soft crack can be heard as my knuckles smash across the teenagers cheekbone. Dill falls with the blow to the green chair underneath him; a heavy silence falls across the train. Dill brushes his tanned fingers across his now red jaw,

"Why did you do that?" He asked, quietly.

"Because you deserved it. A true warrior would stand up and hit me back. You're no warrior. Enjoy your week of living because you won't make it past the first day." I hiss; I turn around and stomp across the train towards my room. Behind me I can hear hushed talking but I don't want to listen. The sliding door to my room opens and I collapse onto my soft bed.

I must have fallen asleep, because when I wake up the scenery outside has changed to a mountainous range. We must only have another day of travelling to go. I roll over on the bed and spot a silver tray that has been placed on top of my dresser. I walk towards it, dragging my thin fingers through my tangled, long brown hair. The tray has bread and honey on it as well as a note. _That was uncalled for, but Zion's reaction was hilarious. Kovu. _I smile and take a bite out of the measly meal. It brings back mixed feelings; when I was in my Games, James had snuck me in some bread and honey and that was what I ate whenever I felt anxious or happy. Now I hardly ever eat it because the honey is sticky with memories I'd rather suppress. Kovu and Diego know about that, so Kovu's gesture of food isn't exactly a kind one, but I'm hungry so I eat it anyway. Once I'm finished, I pad across the soft green carpet of my room towards the shower, wanting to remove all scents of the Victor's homes from my skin. I press a silver button which showers me with icy cold water. The freezing, numbing sensation of the water is almost kind, it's so horrible it distracts me from my thoughts. I press a button with pink square and strawberry shampoo squirts onto my head from a hole above the shower stream. The large, glass cubicle begins to fill with ice cold water and strawberry scented bubbles that are slowly drained away by a spinning plug in the far corner of the shower. No longer being able to stand the cold, I step out of the shower and wrap myself in a black towel.

I spend a few minutes drying myself next the heated floor that sends hot streams of water every 5 seconds all over my body and hair. I walk across the room naked, picking up my old clothes and dressing quickly. Feeling slightly better, I walk out of the room, twisting my hair into a bun as I wander towards the main area of the train. The rest of my companions are eating a hearty breakfast; Zion's beady dark eyes follow me as I sit at the far end of the table.

"Why are you here?" He asks, menacingly.

"Because I want to get as fat as you. Pass me the toast." I order, not bothering to give him eye contact. Diego passes me three slices of white toast. The gentle bubble of conversation that was bouncing around before I arrived has popped and nobody dares to speak.

"Cleo, apologise to Dill for punching him." Kovu says, stabbing a fried mushroom with his fork.

"No. He deserved it." I snap, biting my toast and glaring at my older brother. Diego sighs,

"He didn't. Stop being difficult, Cleo."

"Shut up Diego, don't tell me what to do." I growl, Kovu stands up, obviously annoyed with me.

"Will you grow up Cleo? Not everything is about you. You are acting like a Career trainer and I'm sick of it." He exclaims. I pick up the nearest thing I can and throw it at him. Thankfully it was only a salt shaker so Kovu didn't react and throw something back at me. Instead he reached across the table and grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet.

"Apologise." He hisses; with my free hand I slap him, but Kovu just grips harder and drags me out of the room.

Kovu pushes me the the floor of his and Diego's room, his large brown eyes burning with anger.

"Why are you doing this to us?" He asks, sitting cross legged in front of me. I put my head between my legs, refusing to look at him.

"Because I am."

"Cleo, you've changed so much. I want my little sister back." Kovu says quietly, his voice lost.

"She's dead, I'm what you've got now." I lift up my head to look directly at him. "Do you think I want to be like this? No, I don't. I want to be the old me but I can't. I'm broken inside, Kovu and I want to fit in so I break other people too." Kovu pulls me towards him into a tight hug. I breath in his familiar smell of oak and pine,

"You can talk to us, Cleo. Diego and I will always listen to you no matter what, you know that right?" Kovu asks; I nod. "I know things have been a little difficult recently, you're confused about who you are after the Games and Diego and I admitting our affections for each other mustn't have helped. But you needed to know Cleo, and I don't want you to stop viewing Diego as a brotherly figure to you, despite...well, despite everything. I think you should go and talk to him. I'm not very good with situations like this, you know that, but Diego's much better at it then I am." Kovu looks down and smiles at me.

"Kov, I think I already knew that you and Diego were more than friends. I love Diego like a brother and he'll always be like that to me so stop worrying. I'm not talking to either of you because I don't want to talk about what I'm feeling. I'll talk to Diego if I need to think about my mixed up thoughts, but for now I'm keeping them buried." I stand up and Kovu and I walk back to the train. I sit down and apologise briefly to Dill, although I'm not sincere and everybody knows it. We eat our breakfast with minimal conversation, my presence obviously putting a lot of people on edge.

The train rolled to a stop outside a large crowd of rainbow coloured people. The two Tributes look terrified, but I knew from experience this crowd is nothing compared to what the other Tributes would be receiving.

"Walk fast, say nothing, don't fall. Go." I said quickly, pushing them both forward of the train and through the crowds. Camera bulbs flashed sending mystical lights dancing across my eyes, Kovu stood behind me, his large 6ft 3 height towering over a lot of the smaller than average Capitol residents. Diego pushed forward, darting through the crowds like a cat. Cecilia's dark eyes were round with worry and a pinch of fascination as she took in the large reception. Dill and James stalked forward, almost at the Training building already. I grabbed Cecilia's arm and hurried her forward from her distracted daze. The double doors to the Training Building opened and the roar of the crowd behind us died down as we stepped inside.

"Is everybody here?" Zion asked, his face red and sweaty from walking through the crowd. I wondered how much walking Zion ever did in his life, very little I suspected from the state of his face from a small stroll.

"Will it be like that wherever we go?" Dill asked, the bashful confidence he had inside the train now evaporated in the Capitol air.

"No, as long as you're not interesting you'll be fine." James answered, as blunt as ever.

"You can go to our floor down, floor 7 incase you were wondering. Kovu and Diego, you two will meet with the other new trainers in the weapons room for introduction, you won't be staying with us any longer so this is my final goodbye to you." Zion said, turning around and walking to the elevator.

"Wow, how sincere was that? I'll see you later Cleo." Diego sneered with a roll of his eyes.

"I'll see you both later on, we're probably going to watch the other Tributes come in." I said; I gave both of my brothers a hug and reluctantly followed James and Zion to the overly familiar floor I once stayed in 3 years ago.

I sat cross legged on a green carpet, a bowl of chocolate covered fruit balance on my lap. The large television at the front of the room was showing the introductions to the 74th Hunger Games with a long, boring speech from President Snow. Cecilia and Dill were sitting together on one of the sofa's, gorging themselves on as much food as they could. James walked towards me and gingerly sat down,

"It's been a while..." James began pretending to watch the TV,

"I know, it feels like I'm interacting with ghosts being here." I whispered back, taking a bite of a strawberry.

"It gets a lot better, I've trained people here 4 times now, and I've been a Victor for 6 years." I raised my eyebrow, thankful that I had a little more time to adjust to being a Victor, rather than just being forced to train as soon as my own games ended. President Snows speech finished and the Reaping highlights were shown. Never had I seen more stereotypes in play; District 1, 2 and 4 were tough and volunteered with enthusiasm, Districts 3, 5, 6 and 7 were shy and quiet, some cried but they weren't the worst reactions, whereas Districts 8, 9 and 10 sobbed and cried for their families, except the male tribute for District 10 who seemed confident to be there.

"I bet he'll win, that Thresh guy." I said, Zion gave me a cruel look for not voting for my own District to win, but why would I give them false confidence when it's obvious they will be brutally murdered? The next District however was a surprise, never had District 12 looked like they might have a hope of winning.

"Sisterly love, how sweet." Cecilia said, her eyes glassy with sadness, I wondered if she was thinking about her own family.

"Trust Effie to make that family thing a big deal, she's desperate to get attention the horrible witch." Zion spat. James and I turned around to stare at him,

"Bad history?" James asked, mockingly. Zion ignored us but his stormy face said all we needed to know. I hope he'd admit what happened between him and Effie Trinket before I left the Capitol.

"The Mentors are on the TV!" Zion called, I wandered in from the kitchen with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand. Cecilia had gone to bed, obviously missing her family and needing a break from the TV coverage. A long hour had passed in which every person the Capitol could interview were praising District 12 bravery and saying District 2 would have the Victory. Ceasar Flickerman appeared on TV, all smiles and bright outfit.

"And now for the fabulous Mentors who will be teaching their Tributes all they know!" I sipped my hot chocolate as Ceasar babbled on about the District 1 Mentors who looked stoned and dull.

"Our firm District 2 Mentor favourite Charlotte is back, this can only mean one thing: District 2 are sure to have the best chance of Victory." The TV flashed up an image of a small, black haired woman with cruel dark eyes and a sly smirk on her face.

"Oh not Charlotte." James groaned, burying his head in a pillow.

"Why, what's wrong with Charlotte?" Dill asked

"She's a total bitch, she throws knifes at people when the Mentors eat together, she thinks she's some sort of ninja warrior. I honesty can say I hate that woman." James growled,

"Bad history?" I said, sipping my drink.

"Bad scar more like." James replied. Once it was our turn to be shown, a picture of James and I flashed on the TV, Ceasar smiled and announced

"District 7 has a new Mentor this year. Cleopatra Ivy, 71st Hunger Games winner has joined the Mentor team alongside her own Mentor from her Games James Ostana. Will these Mentors teach their Tributes the District 7 acting way?" I scowled,

"The bastard still didn't learn my name! It's Cleo, not Cleoparta you thick twat!" I exclaimed, kicking a pillow towards the TV in annoyance. Dill laughed, finding my outburst amusing.

"I'm going to bed, if you find a glitter man dead outside it was me and my motive was him being a dick and not learning my name." I stood up and paced towards my room, leaving behind a light laughter that seemed like they were laughing with me rather than at me.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day the Tributes are gone for a very long time, obviously being plucked of every hair on their bodies and primed to perfection. I spend the day wandering around the District 7 level. Luckily the decor holds no memories in its paint and furniture as everything appears new. The carpet when I was here was soft and white, now it is thick and green. Everywhere I turn the colour green slaps me in the face, it's supposed to remind the Tributes of home but it doesn't remind me of home. Instead it reminds me of a forced photograph, where the participants are forced to smile for too long so their happiness looks so insincere and forged. The curtains hanging across the large windows are dark green with lighter green flecks, the kitchen table is green, the sofa is green with green cushions even the walls are painted light green. I think whoever created this floor had a bad hangover and thought their pea green vomit looked pretty, it's the only explanation for this catastrophe. James wandered from the kitchen past me, a cup of black coffee clasped in his hand.

"Is that your third today?" I ask, James laughs

"Try sixth." I raise an eyebrow, but then a buried memory resurfaces, James hates to sleep because it brings him dreams of his Games. The black haired Victor walks to the sofa and sits down, he switches the TV on and stares blankly at it. I continue to stand in the middle of the room, lost without anything to do. After 10 minutes Zion enters the room, flushed and anxious.

"Have you seen the chariot outfits, are they ok? We must make an impression, we must!" He exclaims, as quickly as he arrives Zion leaves, leaving a trail of muddy footprints after him.

"No respect." James scoffs, draining the last of his coffee. I snap out of my daze and walk towards a sofa to sit opposite him. The TV replays the highlights from the Reapings for the third time today, James stares into his empty coffee mug and I stare outside the window onto the empty street below, neither of us speaking for a long time. Eventually, James asks

"How are you?"

"Ok." I answer, but James knows I'm not. Although we became friends after my Games ended, James and I never stayed in touch. I would often see him from my bedroom window, sitting outside his house or buying some food, but that was it. In some aspects, James and I were very similar in our coping mechanism. It was all pretence, we were hurting worse than anyone could image but we just acted like we were fine.

"We have a meal tomorrow with the other Mentors." James says, giving me a split second of eye contact before looking back at his coffee cup.

"You'll get to meet Charlotte again." I mutter, looking at my broken nails. James groans and walks towards me, his arm out stretched.

"Look what she did to me last time she was here." He points towards a ragged scar at the top of his arm, I know that it's from a knife wound thrown at him because the animals I used to hunt always had wounds that shape.

"Why did she do that again?" I ask,

"Because she's a psychopath. Pure District 2 bred insanity wrapped up in a tiny frame." James replied, I smiled,

"I'll enjoy meeting her."

"It'll be a battle of the knife throwers. I recon we can pin her down and take her." James says with a smile, sitting down on the carpet.

"Lets create a battle plan! Maybe we can trap her in a rabbit snare if she's really small and feed her to Zion?" I suggest, both of us start laughing. It feels good to laugh, like I'm exercising my happiness to make it stronger like an athlete would their stamina. Whether it's how funny feeding a person to Zion would be, or just the pure elation of laughing, James and I can't seem to stop. We laugh until our sides ache and our lungs scream. Even after the initial laughing fit, we still have outbursts of laughter every couple of minutes for the next hour. Zion wanders back into the room a few hours later to be be greeted with the sight of James and I drinking coffee and throwing plastic spoons at a painting of Ceasar Flickerman.

"What's going on here?" He snaps, annoyed. Both of us ignore him. Sheepishly, the two tributes walk into the room, wearing the most ridiculous outfit I've ever seen. They're both wearing a body suit made of a brown plastic material with large leaf headdresses balanced on their heads.

"Let me guess, their coal miners?" James asks, sarcastically. Zion shoots him a murderous glare while Dill and Cecilia squirm uncomfortably.

"We look like idiots. All the other Districts are going to take the piss out of us." Dill complains, his slanted black eyes burning with annoyance.

"You're right, they will. But District 12 always look worse so don't worry too much about it." I say,

"Cleopatra, will you at least try to make them feel better about themselves?" Zion growls,

"Nope." I say childishly. Zions looks like he's about to start ranting at me about my manners but a clock chimes in the distance, informing us that we have to get the Tributes to their chariots.

All of the Mentors gathered together at the ending point of the parade inside a glass panel lit with warm orange lights and filled with tables of delicious food. The panel is enclosed off from the crowd by a glass box; the seat I'm sitting in is thick and luscious, it curls around my body and supports my weight comfortably. Sitting slightly in front of all the Mentors behind a black desk is President Snow. I haven't seem him this close for a very long time. He is as tall and thin as I remember, with vicious snake yellow eyes. James stares ahead into the night, waiting for the horn to blare for the parade to begin. Some of the other Mentors are chatting to each other, obviously familiar with one another.

"Sitting here makes me feel important." I whisper, James nods and adds

"Especially with Snow sitting just in front of us." A few of the Mentors stand up and walk around, getting a few drinks or talking to someone at the other end of the room. James stiffens his position in his chair as a small woman walks up to us. She's as tall as me, with an hourglass figure. Her hair is black and reaches her shoulders in a choppy style, which looks similar to how James' home cut hair appears. The woman's eyes are big and brown and outlined in a black eyeliner 's beautiful in a cruel, menacing way.

"James, it's been so long." She says, her voice is surprising high pitched which doesn't match her touch, gothic exterior.

"Charlotte." James says, his voice rougher than I'm used to. I look from James to Charlotte, confused.

"So you're Cleo. James told me a bit about you last time we slept together, e made sure you survived, sweet." Charlotte said, bluntly. James faced flushed red with embarrassments. I felt my toes curl in my flat shoes, whether that was because I felt for James embarrassment or because I as annoyed Charlotte and James had slept together I couldn't tell. Charlotte sat down on James knee, obviously enjoying his awkwardness. She wrapped her arms around his neck and crept close to his face.

"It's been so long," she lulled. James tried to pull his face as far away from her as he could, but his head had reached the wallpapered wall and there was no escape from this District 2 Mentor.

"Charlotte, get off me, this is not the time." James hissed,

"When is the time, big boy? When you're screaming my name in the Training hall or when your pounding me in the canteen after both your Tributes died?" Charlotte asked, her dark eyes dancing with cruelty. James stood up, knocking Charlotte to her feet, but the graceful woman recovered quickly and laughed harshly.

"Oh James, this is how you were the first time. Don't worry, it only takes you a few days to drop your trousers to me." With that, Charlotte spun around and walked back to her seat. James sat down, burying his face in his hands. The Mentors from District 6 and 8 stared at us in shock. From his reflection in the glass, I could see President Snow smiling to himself. I bit my lip, a laugh bubbling up inside me. James groaned slightly and that was enough to set me off. I burst out laughing, covering my mouth with my hand but it couldn't stop my delirious giggles.

"Shut up, Cleo." James snapped, I shook my head, my laughs effecting my balance so I fell to the floor. Obviously finding my outburst amusing, the other Mentors began to laugh, some tying to hide their giggles with napkins while others roared with laughter. A few people from the crowd looked up into the glass box and pointed, wondering what was so funny. James reached down and placed his hand over my mouth.

"Shut up." He spat. His blue eyes locked with mine. I was silenced immediately by his intense gaze. His eyes were like electricity shooting through my body, they were so blue they could almost be considered purple and the furious fire that was burning so fiercely inside him only highlighted just how mesmerising his eyes were. James removed his hand and sat back in his chair, I lifted myself up. My cheek flushed with embarrassment. I want to apologise, but it melted away on my lips, besides, I doubted James wanted to hear it. By the time the horn blared, the laughter in the glass box had died completely and James and I hadn't spoken a single word to each other.

The crowd clapped excitedly as the first chariot appeared, it was silver and held two beautiful blond tributes from District 1, their Mentors clapped gently, obviously too stoned to react properly. The next tributes were much more interesting. Dressed like ancient Greeks, the District 2 chariot thundered ahead, flowers were thrown and the crowd cheered wildly as they roared past. The two Tributes looked smug and confident, but why wouldn't they? They were mentored by the best there was apparently, plus they were Careers, they had the best hopes out of everybody.

"Did you see Cato blowing kisses to the crowd? I taught him that!" The male District 2 Mentor shouted, Charlotte pushed him back to his seat and snapped

"Oh shut up Brutus, no one cares what you taught him, he learns from _me_." James scowled, sinking into his seat

"She's such a bitch." He growled, I nodded but he didn't look at me. I frowned, I had never felt awkward around James but now I had never felt so distant from him. It seemed like our enjoyable afternoon had been burnt away leaving the ashes of humiliation and hostility behind. The next few chariots were dull and boring stereotypes. As soon as the District 7 chariot rode forward, I hide behind a lock of my wavy dark hair. They looked like animals caught in a snare, terrified and weak. Cecilia gripped hold of the horse reins so tightly it looked like they would snap. Dill look slightly more confident, he waved and smiled but his eyes portrayed his fear.

"Nice Tributes," Charlotte sneered,

"Just like your sex positions." James growled. I froze in my seat as the other Mentors laughed awkwardly. I wanted to throw myself off the glass roof and fall into the crowd I felt so trapped between the sexual tension the two Mentors shared.

"Ignore her." I said quietly, James said nothing. The next Tributes passed by painfully slowly, nobody showing any hopes of interest. I made myself a cup of coffee from a drinks dispenser and drank it in the corner, needing to escape from James. The District 5 female Mentor, Lint walked up to me with a coy smile and said

"I'd need to escape as well if I was sitting next to one of those. It's the same every year. They begin by tearing at each others throats, and then they start tearing at each others clothes." A pang of jealous stabbed my stomach,

"How long have they known each other?" I asked, Lint frowned

"They've trained Mentors at the same time as each other twice; each time Charlotte trains District 2 they win. Every time James and Charlotte get together no one in the Training building sleeps at night. Oh, am I making you uncomfortable? Sorry about that, I'm terrible for not knowing when to shut up!" Lint said, she grabbed a slice of cake and with a wink, sauntered away. I sipped my coffee, wishing Diego was here to plant a snake under Charlottes chair to poison her to death. Diego was good at pranks like that, and he never got caught for them. I didn't know why I felt so jealous, I shouldn't care what James did with another woman. But deep inside, the idea of him being with anyone made me feel angry and sad. Or maybe that was just my reactions to being here? A collected gasp stunned me out of my swarming thoughts. I looked outside to be greeted by the sight of fire. I stepped forward, squinting to see what was ablaze. District 12; I couldn't believe it. They held their hands tightly together like they were the best of friends. The fire burning around them made them appear like the Phoenix, powerful and extraordinary. Never had I seen a chariot outfit that beautiful. A close up screen zoomed in on both of their faces' they were total opposites, one dark like a demon and the other fair like an angel, but together they seemed to balance completely. _Ying and Yang _I thought, my brain remembering a phrase I had heard a long time ago. Two opposite forces working together, and that's exactly what they were. All of the chariots stopped in a horse shoe around the glass panel and President Snow stood up to recite his speech.

"Don't rule out District 12." A gray haired man chuckled at the back of the room, he stood up and wobbled out of the glass box, probably back to the Training Centre. Once the speech had ended the chariots cantered away and the Mentors began to depart from the glass box. Charlotte left first, spitting and hissing about how pathetic District 12 were for showing off. James didn't wait for me, or even acknowledge my existence as he walked out.

"How is it so far?" A voice asked, just as I was about to walk out. I turned around, greeted by the poisonous eyes of President Snow.

"Dauntingly, sir." I replied politely. Snow nodded, pleased with my manners.

"Do you think you'll have a Victor this year, Cleo?" Snow asked, I smiled at the use of my nickname which i thought he would ignore.

"I know I should stay optimistic, but there's no use in lying to them and spoon feeding them false hope. My Tributes might last a night at the most, anything after that is a gift." I replied, maintaining eye contact despite the rising dread I felt staring into the soulless pits of his gaze. Snow nodded,

"I admire your honesty. Many people now a days are not as open with their thoughts. I don't think District 7 will be lucky this year, but District 12 is a shock to me." Snow scowled slightly, as if the pinch of hope District 12 had made him angry. Without another word, President Snow walked past me out into the dark night. I frowned, my mind trying to piece together what would make him annoyed about a simple chariot outfit.

"Come on Cleopatra!" An annoyed voice snapped, I gritted my teeth. Zion knew my nickname all too well, he just actively chose not to call me it to so how far he could push me until I snapped and baked him into a meat dish. I stalked across the glass box towards him, slamming the door shut behind me.

**Authors note:**

**Did you like it? Personally I loved writing this chapter hence the length of it. I really am going to enjoy writing about Charlotte and James. If you could review and tell me what you think that would be amazing! **

**Questionsssss!**

**What do you think of Charlotte?**

**Why does Cleo feel that annoyed about James and Charlotte?**

**Why did James refuse to talk to Cleo after Charlotte embarrassed him? **

**Answer them in a review and I'll message you to see if you're right!**

**One other thing! There's been a big error. OH NO! Cleo won the 71st Hunger Games but so did Johanna Mason in the same year. So for the purpose of this really bad bit of research...although I think that's a new detail, message me if I'm wrong? Could you all just pretend Johanna won before Cleo did, it has no real importance to the story at all, but I just wanted it to be cleared up incase any of you were wondering. Thanks and I'll upload again as soon as possible**

**REVIEW PLEASE AND I'LL LOVE YOU EVEN MORE THAN I DO NOW 3**


	4. Chapter 4

The corridor is long and cold, with harsh artificial lights blaring in the empty corridor. Cecilia, Dill, James and I wander down it towards the training room. James still hasn't spoken to me after the parades last night and I'm really not looking forward to the Mentors evening meal because I know Charlotte will be there and the very taste of her name in my mouth makes my stomach clench. Cecilia wanders behind, her eyes staring at the overly white tiles in deep thought. I slowed down my pace and smiled at her,

"How are you after last night?" I asked, Cecilia looked up at me, a fake smile glimmering on her lips.

"It was scary. It doesn't matter how we did anyway, District 12 stole the show." Cecilia says, she looks away from me and stares down at the floor.

"That's true." I muttered, James glanced over his shoulder at Cecilia and I, but continued to walk, not caring if we caught up with him or not.

"You've never told me about your family, Cecilia." I say, hoping to engage in some form of conversation. I don't know why I feel the need to talk to Cecilia, I think it's because she seems so lonely and I don't like her being alone with her thoughts for too long. I personally know how damaging that is. Cecilia smiles, remembering a sweet memory of home.

"I live with my mother, my father and my boyfriend." She says, I raise an eyebrow and she blushes.

"He's a close family friend, I've known him most of my life so him living with us after he turned 15 made sense, 'y'know?" I nod, understanding what it's like not to have any family.

"Did your boyfriend live in the orphanage?" I ask, Cecilia nods.

"That's where I met him, my mother and I used to bring cakes to the orphanage sometimes and he was always the cheekiest and asked for one more." Cecilia giggled softly, her face lighting up in fond memory.

We reach the double doors of the Training centre, more than likely the last people to arrive.

"Ready?" I ask,

"Not at all." Cecilia says with a shake of her head, I give her a reassuring smile and open the doors widely. I was right, we are the last to arrive. All of the Tributes are here, throwing spears, building fires and climbing ropes. Cecilia looks around, her wide brown eyes terrified yet curious.

"Try the berries, they're always useful and nobody's there yet." I suggest, Cecilia smiles and wanders slowly over to the berry station. A lot of the other Mentors are here too, dipping around each station and looking at the Tributes. It's a bit of a tradition to attend the first training session of each Tribute, although I don't remember James being here when I first trained. I look around the room of memories to try and find a familiar face. Luckily, she finds me first. Warm arms warp around me and squeeze me tight.

"Cleo!" A familiar, comforting voice exclaims. I turn around, smiling warmly at Pine.

"I missed you!" I say, returning her hug. Pine has cut her black hair into a short bob and her green eyes look dull and tired, yet she is as familiar to me as my own face. Pine releases the hug, holding me back at arms length to look at me.

"My, you've changed." She says sadly, I shrug looking at the floor. Pine hugs me again, but this time the hug feels more desperate than friendly. I know Pine hurts too. Every year she trains Tributes she knows might die, all just to forget about her little sister who lost the Games a long time ago.

"How have you been, Pine? Giving private teachings to anyone new?" Pine chuckles, releasing the hug.

"No, nobody is as good to teach as you." I follow Pine back to her station, knife throwing.

A small girl with dark brown hair is there, flicking knifes around her nimble fingers. I lean against a white pillar decoration and watch her.

"Do you need me to teach you anything?" Pine asks sweetly.

"No. I'm not pathetic, I know what I'm doing." The girl hisses, launching a knife at a target. She hits it dead in the centre. Pine scowls,

"Are you District 2?" She asks, a hard edge creeping into her voice. Most of the other trainers are kind and patient, Pine is not. She's firm and honest, if she doesn't like somebody she tells them. That's what I always liked about Pine, she was so easy to read and I felt the need to impress her. That's why my private, secret training's with her were so useful, I hated to let her down so I always did well.

"Obviously I'm District 2, you're just nosy. Piss off, I don't want any help." The girl snapped, throwing another knife, this time she missed slightly. I couldn't help but laugh. The girl spun around to look at me, her brown eyes furious.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" She spat.

"You and your terrible aim." I replied, my eyes hard and my voice icy. There was no way a 17 year old District 2 Tribute was telling me what to do.

"Who do you think you are?" The girl hissed, taking a step towards me. I straighten my posture, although this girl was very small, she was still taller than me so I couldn't look down at her like an authority figure should.

"I'm Cleopatra Ivy, 71st Hunger Games winner, and you are?" The girls brown eyes flickered with surprise, she must have thought I was another Tribute.

"Clove." The girl said, she picked up another knife and threw it at the target, her small confrontation lost. Pine smirked, glad Clove had been put in her place.

I walked around the Training Centre, watching curiously. Charlotte was standing next to the District 4 boy, stabbing him with sly remarks on his spear throwing ability. That was probably how she always won, by terrifying other Tributes into losing. I spot James, lurking behind the rope section as far away from Charlotte as possible. A small girl is sitting at the very top of rope nets, a small smile spread across her face as she watched all the other Tributes like a curious cat. James was watching her curiously, it was only when James laughed did I realise they were the corner of my eye I noticed a blond haired man sitting with a red haired girl, they were looking at a large screen with thousands of pictures of animals. I walked towards them, listening to parts of their conversation.

"...And this is a black bear, they're fast and furious, the best thing to do with this animal is to keep all your food far away." Diego said, the red haired girl nodded, fully engaged in his information. Diego must have heard my approach because he turned around with a smile.

"Hey Cle, want to help me teach her about dangerous animals?" I frowned, I knew very little about animals, Diego was the one who knew things about creatures, I was the plants girl. The girl turned around and smiled at me shyly; she looked back at Diego and informed,

"I'll practice at the berries station now it's free, thanks for the lesson Diego."

"No problem, I'll see you tomorrow." Diego said, giving the girls arm at pat as she went by.

"She looks like an animal." I said, staring at her as she walked away.

"I was just thinking that, what animal do you think she is?" Diego asked, reprogramming the animal sorting machine.

"Hmm, a cat?" I said

"You think everything looks like a cat!" Diego chuckled,

"That's because I like cats but you won't let me get one."

"You could barely keep a pet rock alive let alone a cat." Diego said, sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and softly punched him in the arm.

A loud bang and shouting extinguished the playful teasing between Diego and I. A tall blond haired guy was shouting at a smaller boy, the blonds face was red with anger and he clenched his fists in frustration.

"You stole my knife give it back!" The blond screeched, the younger boy shook his head, his green eyes wary.

"No I didn't, Cato." The blond, Cato, took a step towards the boy, his body shaking in anger.

"If you don't give me back my knife I will rip open your throat with my teeth right here." Cato threatened,

"That's enough." A voice demanded. Charlotte walked across the room and placed her small hand on Cato's wide chest. Cato glared at the boy, refusing to give up eye contact.

"Look at me Cato or you'll regret it." Charlotte hissed, reluctantly Cato looked at her. Charlotte forced an angry smile,

"Walk away, you can attack him in the arena." Cato let out a deep breath and stormed away, kicking a stand of axes over as he went. The man behind the axe station laughed, breaking the icy silence. Cato spun around,

"What the hell are you laughing at?" He shouted,

"You, you pathetic child." The man snickered; Diego sighed heavily. It really was typical Kovu to start a fight with one of the Career Tributes.

"I will kill you, don't push me." Cato warned, Kovu raised an eyebrow and dramatically pushed Cato. That was it. Cato charged, he flung a clenched fist towards Kovu who artfully dodged kicked out a leg and Cato stumbled; the blond Tribute gripped Kovu's neck and pulled him to the floor.

"Kinky." Diego chuckled, I bit my lip to stop myself laughing. Kovu rolled over, kicking a leg towards Cato's gut, it connected and the smaller boy grunted in pain.

"I really hope Kovu doesn't treat you like that in bed." I muttered,

"Should we stop them?" Diego asked,

"No, it's like watching two bears fighting, this is the best entertainment I've seen so far today." I said; Kovu punched towards Cato's jaw, distracting the younger boy, Kovu leapt to his feet and pushed his foot down on Cato's throat.

"For a Career, you're really not that good." Kovu sneered, his voice slightly wheezy from the fight. Cato tried to get to his feet, but Kovu stamped on his throat, causing him to sink back to the ground, defeated and hurt. Kovu smirked and walked back to his axes. The few Mentors and Tributes who were still watching the fight went back to their training, except from Charlotte, who's eyes flamed with anger.

"You let a trainer from District 7 beat you?" She spat, Cato rubbed his red jaw and stormed past her, obviously not wanting to hear her rant.

"Clove, here now. We have some serious training to do, you're some of the weakest District 2 Tributes I've had the horror to train..." Charlottes voice faded away as she and the District 2 Tributes left the Training room.

A bell rang, signaling this morning's Training session was over and the Tributes had to leave for lunch. I walked said a brief goodbye to Diego and Kovu. Apparently having a fight with an angst ridden Cato was the most fun Kovu had had in months because for the past hour he wouldn't shut up about their fight. Dill, Cecilia, James and I took the elevator to level 7, no one really talking to one another. The elevator door dinged and open with a small whirl of clogs and gears. I stepped off first, greeted by the sight of Zion spread out of the sofa stuffing his face with chocolate.

"Good training session?" He mumbled,

"Yeah, I learnt how to build fires and shoot a bow and arrow!"Dill exclaimed, collapsing on the sofa opposite Zion.

"It was eventful." Cecilia muttered, getting herself a drink of water from the sink.

"Eventful, why?" Zion asked,

"The District 2 boy and Kovu had a fight." James said, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

"What? I knew that boy was trouble!" Zion hissed, he shot me an accusing look but I just glared at him. Kovu did as he pleased it was nothing to do with me.

"Cato was annoyed over a missing knife anyway. Little did he know the girl I was talking to, Rue, had taken it." James smiled, thinking about the little girl who had climbed to the top of the ropes. Zion scowled,

"Don't talk to other Tributes, James. You've got to give Cecilia and Dill all your attention." Zion scolded, James just ignored him. "Oh yeah, the first Mentor meal is tonight. Are you both going to be there?" Zion asked,

"No, I'm too tired. I'll go to the next one." I said, shaking my head.

"The next one's in two weeks time, just before the Training Scores are announced." James informed me,

"Then I'll see them all in two weeks time." I said, walking away to my bedroom. No longer wanting to feel James' eyes looking me up and down when he thinks I don't notice.

**Authors note: So I uploaded another chapter. What do you think? Uploading might slow down due to school and work (UGH!) but I will always try and upload once a week at the minimum. I just want to thank you for your support, and if you've reviewed(which is amazing) I would have (and will do to all new reviewers) sent you a personal thanks because it means such a lot to me and gives me the kick to type another chapter for you. I've sorted out the plot in my head a bit more which is good but I think this is going to be quite a long FanFiction, probably longer than Don't just Die but hopefully you'll like the length and twisty turny plot? Thank you again for reading this, you're all wonderful and if you could send me a cheeky little review I'd be so, so, so sooooooo grateful! Thanks guys! 3**


	5. Chapter 5

Unfortunately for me those 2 weeks fly by so quickly it was as if they were made of dust floating along the streets of District 2. I sit with fellow Mentors on a long glass table, a banquet of food arranged decoratively in front of us. I sit gingerly next to James who is glaring at Charlotte with venom in his blue eyes. I haven't really spoken to him in the past fortnight, everything just seems awkward and distant between us and I'm too stubborn to try and thaw our icy relationship. A gentle chatter fills the room and almost everybody seems relaxed. I cut a chunk of fish and eat it, watching the large red clock on the opposite wall tick by painfully slowly.

"So, how's the District 7 training going? Are they ready for the interviews tonight?" A dark haired man asks, forcing a conversation with me. I nod politely,

"Yes, they seem ready." I reply but in all honesty I have no idea what they're going to say. Both of the Tributes are upset after their measly training scores of 5 and 6. I try and tell them it's an average score, but it just reminds them of the fact their deaths are inevitable. Someone in the corner laughs; I look up at the already drunk face of Haymitch. He's smug, really smug. His Tribute, Katniss scored really well, I'm beginning to think that maybe District 12 will have a winner this year.

"This roast pork is delicious, my complements to the chef!" President Snow declares from the top of the table. Everybody raises a glass and cheers, a pinched face man peers from around a door frame, a smile on his face.

"I'm glad you're enjoying the food." He says, before disappearing back into the kitchen. James reaches across the table and picks up a spoonful of roast potatoes. It's weird watching him eat, all he ever seems to consume is countless cups of pure black coffee. His arm grazes mine and I glance up at him, silently begging he will talk to me. I shake my head, wondering why I'm starting to think like that. I haven't felt this weird swirl of emotions towards somebody since Rain._ Rain._ The name erupts from the box in my brain I locked it in and stings like a venomous snake. I bite my lips are as onslaught of memories attack me like gun fire. Trapped in a cave in utter privacy; laughter and honey bread; reuniting in the snowy forest; a dying kiss. That kiss, he died for me and I couldn't save him. My lungs struggle for breath and my eyes blur with tears. I can't breathe. I can feel my shoulders shaking and my head fogs; the voices around me don't make sense and I can't feel anything but my heart ripping into shreds.

"Cleo, Cleo!" A voice hisses into my ear. I snap awake, my body shaking. "Come on, follow me." James says, he helps me to my feet and escorts me to the bathroom. Some other people have left the table I notice; dinner is over. James sits me down on the cool tiles and hands me a wet cloth. I hardly remember walking here.

"It's ok, just breathe." My eyes flicker towards the bathroom mirror and I gasp. My face is pale and my lips are bloodied from biting them to hard, my eyes are red and the black eyeliner I was wearing has smudged down my face. I've been crying and I never even noticed. I look down at my arms, angry red marks have been racked down them. It looks like I've been attacked by a vicious cat, but I caused those marks myself. The worse part is, I don't remember breaking down. James sits in front of me, blocking my view of the mirror.

"It's ok, you're ok. What happened?" He asks, I swallow and try to speak but my chest heaves and my words are broken, as if I've just ran for hours.

"Shh, clam down, it's ok, it's ok. Just calm down." James, holds my arms and stares right into my eyes, somehow it's comforting. I take deep breaths, trying to quiet my hammering heart. In the back of my mind the name batters my head, like a woodpecker on the trunk of an oak tree. I try and bury it, like I haven done before, but it won't disappear. _Rain, Rain, Rain._ It hurts, the name causes me pain and it won't go away. James pulls me into his arms and brushes my hair gently with his fingers. He rocks my back and forth gently, his left hand patting my back. It's what Kovu does when I have panic attacks at home. I concentrate on the beating of James heart, the way his breath stirs the hair behind my neck, the patting of his hand.

"Are you feeling calmer?" James asks, I nod. He releases me and smiles gently.

"I took you away before anyone noticed."

"Thanks," I whisper, I don't want any of the other Mentors seeing me break.

"Are you ready to go back in?" He asks me, I shake my head.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" I want him to stay, I never want him to leave but I don't want him to miss out of the diner party and I need to clean myself up.

"You go, I'll be back out in a minute." I assure him

"If your sure, don't be too long though or I'll come back and get you." James warns me, he stands up and leaves the bathroom.

I walk towards the mirror and assess the disaster in front of me. My eyeliner is totally ruined and my mascara has clumped together so it looks like my eyelashes had turned into spider legs instead of black feathers. I sigh,

"Great, James saw you like this." I whisper to myself. I take the wet cloth off my forehead and gently wipe away the eyeliner smudges, unfortunately I don't have any spare makeup in my bag but my patch up work is better then I expected. I brush down my dress and drag my fingers through my curled hair, with a fake smile, I walk back into the party. The rest of the Mentors were already sitting down, luckily nobody seemed to notice my arrival.

"Are you ok now?" James asks quietly. I nod and sit down. President Snow stands up and the room descends into silence, I look up at him expecting a speech.

"I must say, this years games promise to be eventful and for the first time, I think their may be a battle for glory." Charlotte scowls and scrapes her knife across her plate creating a demonic shriek that sends shivers down my spine.

"Coal miners won't beat my Tributes." She hisses, glaring at Haymitch. The gray haired man chuckles, swigging whisky straight from the crystal bottle.

"Don't count your eggs before they've hatched, Charlotte." Snow says, "Tonight's interviews shall be a spectacle to watch, but I need to remind you all that tomorrow brings the most hard work for you. Make sure you get your sponsors early or your Tributes have no chance." Snow smiles, his vicious snake eyes glittering menacingly. Some Avoxes enter the room like reanimated corpses, pale and silent. They take away our dinner plates and load the table with sweet deserts. The stuff I was really waiting for. I reach towards the thick chocolate cake, which nobody else seems to want. James looks at me from the corner of his eye and a faint smile whispers on his lips, he of all people knows how much I enjoy my sweets.

Desert passes quickly and the Mentors leave the room with a few minutes to go before the show starts. I brush cake crumbs from my pale yellow dress and follow the other Mentors down the corridor of Games fame. I look around towards the end of the corridor, trying to find the picture of myself.

"You're up there, you might not be able to see it very well because you're too small." James says, I roll my eyes and strain my neck, hoping it's not a picture of me when I was lying in a hospital bed after my win. James reaches up and unclips the picture from the wall and hands it to me. I stare at the dull hazel eyes of the almost dead girl. My hair is plastered to my starved, skeletal face with blood, my lips are blue and my nose is bleeding. At least I didn't look that bad before.

"It's a horrible picture." I whisper, transfixed. I never really saw just how awful I looked after my win. James takes the picture from me and pins it back into place.

"Look around you, all the pictures are awful. Come on, we're the last ones to take our place." James brushes past me and walks into the large arena that hosts the interviews. The Mentors sit on the front row just in front of the rowdy audience. The chairs are red leather and really uncomfortable, I know I'm going to spend most of my night trying to mould the stiff leather into a comfy seat. Caesar bounces on stage and the audience leaps to their feet with overexcited enthusiasm. I roll my eyes and try to peer past the flamboyant host to the door where the Tributes are lined up ready to be interviewed. The first few Tributes are called on stage and interviewed, nobody particularly standing out. Cecilia sits down on stage, her wide eyes terrified. She's wearing a light blue dress that makes her pale skin appear more tanned. She looks very pretty, I'm glad she has a good stylist, after all, this will be the last dress she ever wears. Caesar attempts to engage Cecilia in an interesting conversation, but she's too stiff and nervous to answer him correctly. Her timer beeps and the audience clap, not out of entertainment, but out of pity.

"She's hopeless." James sighs, I nod.

"Dill won't be any better, though. We won't be able to get them any Sponsors."

"We won't need to, they'll be dead by sunset." James reminds me, I can't help wondering if we might be a little too pessimistic towards our Tributes.

By the time the District 12 Tributes are interviewed, the enthusiasm has fizzled out and everybody is tired and deflated. The set up for this show is very clever, nobody wants the Districts past 7 to ever win so they give them the grave shifts, the last interview spaces, the last chariot places, they're always last in everything.

"What would happen if the poorer Districts won?" I ask,

"Riots. They won't win, Snow wouldn't ever allow it to happen. You know he hates those Districts, there are rumours he wants to get rid of Districts 11 and 12 because they're not of much use anymore and they're to far away from the Capitol to properly control." James explains as the girl from District 12 walks on stage.

"That's terrible, he can't do that." I whisper,

"Snow can and he will. Look at District 13, the Capitol wanted it bombed so it was." James whispers, the audience claps loudly. I look up on the stage confused, did I miss something? Katniss smiles sweetly, the timer on stage counts down her final 30 seconds. She stands up, escorted by Caesar and spins on the spot. Fire frazzles and sparkles from the hem of her dress, the crowd gasps, frightened.

"Beautiful, beautiful!" Caesar coos, his piggy eyes glittering. Katniss stops spinning and smiles, the timer bleeps and she walks of stage, a few stray flames trailing after her.

"They really want to take the fire theme as far as possible." James says, I nod in agreement. The District 12 boy, Peeta, seems to be incredibly media trained, he makes the audience laugh and never reveals too much information that might be a disadvantage to him. From the corner of my eye I see he has been given a minutes extra time. President Snow will _not_ like that. I must haven tuned out of the interview because I snapped back into attention by the crowd gasping. James smirks slyly,

"He's excellent, I'll give him that. What a people pleaser." James declares.

"Because...because...she came here with me." Peeta whispers. The crowd descends into silence. I look up at James, confused.

"Who came here with him, what's going on?" I ask

"Were you not listening?" James smirks

" I must have blanked out again." I say, I keep on doing that and I don't even realise how long I'm unaware of what's going on. It must be yet another issue my Games brought out as a coping mechanism.

"He's in love with his District partner, and she came here with him." James explains. My eyes widen and I look at the boy onstage. His interview is up and he bows his goodbyes, his blue eyes are clouded and trouble. I don't think he's acting about loving Katniss. _Rain. _The name bites at my brain for the second time today. _Why do I keep thinking about him? It's been years,_ I wonder silently. I can feel my breathing speed up and my legs begin shaking. I stand up and leave quietly, the roaring of the audience fading away behind me.

**I'm so sorry I haven't uploaded another chapter for months, I've just been really lazy. Anyways, I'm back and so is Cleo! Yay! Thanks for the reviews you've given me, they're so good and I'm so pleased with them so thank you very much! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, if so tell me and if you didn't like it you can tell me your critiques. Thanks a lot 3 **


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